A website for all of McDonough County government could be up and running in July.

Some county offices, such as the County Highway Department and The Elms Nursing Home, currently run their own websites but others do not.

Jake Holmes, the county's instructional technology administrator, displayed a prototype county website on Thursday to members of the McDonough County Board's human resources and planning committee. Holmes said he needs information from two more county offices in order to complete the site design.

"This is not searchable yet," he told members of the committee, "but I can provide links to allow you to examine it."

Holmes said that, when the site becomes interactive, the board needs to decide whether there would be one contact person who would receive questions and seek responses from the appropriate office or whether queries would go directly to each office.

The IT administrator noted that the circuit clerk's office already has information displayed through the judicial circuit website. He said that could be mirrored on the county site with a link to the judicial circuit site.

Committee chairman George Dixon asked each member of the committee to take time to examine the prototype site this month. He said the committee should plan on making a website recommendation to the county board in July.

Other business

In other business, the committee received a draft of a profile sheet that could be kept by animal control officers for animal behavior while in the Macomb/McDonough County Animal Shelter. The State's Attorney's Office has requested that animal behavior be monitored for at least 48 hours before the animal is released for adoption.

"Observation notes could be added to the sheet at any time during an animal's stay at the shelter," Animal Control Officer Vicky VanTrump said of those not adopted right away.

She said there were 51 dogs dropped off at the shelter in May, with 20 being adopted, 15 being reclaimed by their owners, one turned over to an animal rescue group, and one euthanized.

VanTrump said there were 30 cats in the shelter in May, and seven were adopted. She also reported that catchpoles and nets were purchased for the animal control officers through a county safety grant.